Label placing method



July 26, 1938. J. B 'JOHNSON 2,124,670

LABEL PLACING METHOD Filed Jan. 6, 1956 1256.56 B" JBH/VsO/V PatentedJuly 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATEI FFHQE LABEL PLACING METHOD landApplication January 6, 1936, Serial No. 57,833

6 Claims.

My invention relates to a certain new and useful method and apparatusfor placing labels in ice cream cones, and it primarily has for itsobject to provide a simple method and apparatus, the apparatus beinginexpensive to manufacture, easily manipulated and will readily serveits intended purposes.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention stillfurther resides in the novel details of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in thefollowing detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of one form of apparatus for carrying outmy invention.

Figure 2 is a detail section of a row of ice cream cones with the labelsbeing placed thereon.

Figure 3 is a detail cross section showing one of the pick-up nozzleslifting a label from its holder and illustrating the function of theguides.

In the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts in all of thefigures, I is a suitable support on which is mounted a suction pump 2driven by a suitable motor 3. The suction pump is connected through asuitable flexible connec- 30 tion 1 controlled by a valve 8, to thelabel pick-up and placing tool which, in the preferred form of theinvention illustrated in the drawing, consists of a tubular frame 4, 5from the longitudinal members 5 of which hollow pick-up fingers 6 35project, the fingers being spaced apart at suitable intervals andrigidly held parallel with one another. These hollow fingers 6communicate with the interior of the tubular frame 5 and 4, the lattercommunicating with the flexible duct 1 so 40 that the suction of thepump 2 when the valve 8 is opened, will tend to draw air into thefingers 6.

The valve 8 has its operating lever l l controlled by a suitable footpedal 9 connected at III to the lever I! so that the operator maycontrol the suction by foot while manipulating the pick-up tool 4, 5, 6,by hand.

Ice cream cones are usually packed in rows in containers stacked one rowon top of another. For example, there may be three rows-six cones to therow. In order to supply labels to all of the cones in the three rowswhich are in the same horizontal alignment, the pick-up tool is designedwith the same number of fingers 6 as there are cones to besimultaneously labelled, and

the fingers 6 are spaced apart at intervals near to the space betweenthe axes of the cone to be labelled. Likewise there is provided a set oflabel boxes also arranged in the same order as the cones to be labelled,these boxes being separate from one another and each contains a stack oflabels l6. Adjacent the label boxes is a suitable moistening pad It bywhich the labels may be dampened. Guides M are provided adjacent thelabel boxes which have their ends bent over and recessed so as .to beengaged by the adjacent fingers 6 to center the pick-up tool over thelabel boxes as it is inserted therein.

In carrying out my method the labels are simultaneously picked up fromthe boxes I 3 (held on the support 52) by inserting the pick-up fingers6 therein and turning on the valve 8. The suction causes these fingers 8to gather up a label from the respective box. With the valve still openthe operator lifts the tool from the label boxes and rests it lightly onthe pad l5 for a sufiicient period to moisten the label slightly. Hethen inserts the tool with the adhering labels into the cones, as bestindicated in Figure 2, and pushes the labels out toward the bottom or"the cones whereupon he releases the pedal 9 which permits the valve 8 toclose and brake the suction. As the labels are slightly moist wheninserted into the cone they will tend to adhere somewhat to the Walls ofthe cones l1 and will not follow the fingers 6 out of the cones. Thecones, of course, are supported in a suitable holder l8 which may be thecard-board separating strip now commonly used in packing the cones forshipment.

The labels which are used may contain any desired matter, such asadvertising matter, for example.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it is thought the complete construction, operationof my apparatus and the carrying out of my method will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

What I claim is:

1. The method of labeling an ice cream cone, consisting in applying themouth of a suction tube to a rectangular label in a manner so as toleave the corners of the label free, lifting the tube with the labeladhering thereto and inserting the label and the tube down into the tipof the cone until the corners of the label engage the wall of the coneso as to tend to retain the label in the cone, and then breaking thesuction and removing the tube.

2. The method of labeling an ice cream cone, consisting in applying themouth of a suction tube of substantially less cross-sectional area thanthat of the label to a rectangular label at the approximate center ofthe label so as to leave the corners of the label free, lifting the tubewith the label adhering thereto, then inserting the label and the tubedown into the tip of the cone until the corners of the label engage thewall of the cone so as to tend to retain the label in the cone, and thenbreaking the suction and removing the tube.

3. The method of labeling an ice cream cone, consisting in applying themouth of a suction tube to a rectangular label in a manner so as toleave the corners of the label free, lifting the tube with the labeladhering thereto, moistening the portion of the label beneath the tube,then inserting the label and the tube down into the tip of the coneuntil the corners of the label engage the Wall of the cone so as to tendto retain the label in the cone, and then breaking the suction andremoving the tube.

4. The method of labeling an ice cream cone, consisting in applying themouth of a suction tube of substantially less cross-sectional area thanthat of the label to a rectangular label at the approximate center ofthe label so as to leave the corners of the label free, lifting the tubewith the label adhering thereto, moistening the portion of the labelbeneath the tube, then inserting the label and the tube down into thetip of the cone until the corners of the label engage the wall of thecone so as to tend to retain the label in the cone, and then breakingthe suction and removing the tube.

5. The method of placing small rectangular labels into only the tips ofice cream cones, which consists in applying a thin suction tube to theapproximate center of the label leaving the surrounding area of thelabel free while holding the label to the tube by suction, then usingthe tube as a means to place the label down into the tip of the cone farenough to cause the label to assume a generally conical cup-like form byengagement with the inside of the wall of the cone,

with the marginal edges of the label engaging the wall of the cone, andthen breaking the suction and withdrawing the tube.

6. The method of placing small rectangular labels into only the tips ofice cream cones, which consists in applying a thin suction tube to theapproximate center of the label leaving the surrounding area of thelabel free while holding the label to the tube by suction and whileusing the tube .as a handle moistening that portion of the label that isengaged by the tube, then placing the label down into the tip of thecone far enough to cause the label to assume a generally conicalcup-like form by engagement with the inside of the wall of the cone,with the marginal edges of the label engaging the wall of the cone, andthen breaking the suction and withdrawing the tube.

JESSE B. JOHNSON.

